What are Friends for?
by SassySeraph
Summary: Human!suck. A young Gamzee overhears a slight altercation on the playground and winds up making a new friend in the process of ending it.


The blazing summer sun beat down on the small albino figure who sat in a cowering, curled up ball on the playground dirt. A few local bullies decided to pester him. They were currently dumping out the contents of his red rucksack with a small crab stitched onto it. An easy target, this was a normal occurrence. Fresh tears erupted out of his eyes when they finished with his bag, turning back on him to kick dirt into his face whilst pushing his small frame about.

"Hey you big jerks." Hands and feet stopped moving as the group looked up, blinking as a lanky, tan male casually walked over. "Why don't you all up and leave the lil' bro alone? It doesn't look like he was botherin' anyone." The male stopped a few steps away, shoving his hands into his pockets. Two of the children, brothers, heard their mother call from their car. They ran off to her, leaving behind the third boy.

Although shorter than the strange male, the remaining bully was still big for his age and looked like he could easily do some damage. "Who are ya calling a big jerk, you dorky ass clown freak?" The taller boy wasn't wearing his usual clown makeup, but his odd tendencies were well known around the neighborhood. Puffing out his chest, the bully stepped forward. He was looking to pick a fight.

"Yo, look man. I don't really wanna start anything." He took a step to the side and grinned at the bully. "We can just end this shit and call it a day if ya help me pick up this bro's things. Then you can waddle on back to your mommy and play somewhere else."

"Are you callin' me fat ya lil' shit?" The other male growled lightly. "Fuck that." In a swift movement the bully spat at his feet and punched him square in the jaw. His fists twitched slightly in his pockets, but the taller boy remained generally un-phased. That dopy grin stayed plastered on his face as the boy grumbled some more and sulked away when he didn't show any indication of wanting to fight back.

A moment later he walked over to check on the smaller male. "Hey bro, are you okay?" His head tilted as he looked down at him. Red irises peered up at the male through cracked fingers. Sniffling lightly, he only nodded and trembled slightly. The other boy seemed to tower over his form on the ground.

Seeing that he was no longer in any danger, the albino lowered his hands and sat up so he could get a better look at his savior. "W-who the hell are you?" A light hiccup sounded as he wiped his face on the sleeve of his baggy, black sweater. "You didn't have to do that…You could've gotten your ass kicked."

"Nah, don't worry about it bro…Oh! I'm Gamzee by the way." Another wide grin appeared as he knelt down and pulled a purple handkerchief out of his back pocket. "Here, you can wipe your face on this" he said, handing it over to the boy. "Looks like you got cut up a bit. Do you have anything in that bag of yours we could clean it up with?"

"Thanks…I'm Karkat." The other male returned the introduction as he took the violet cloth and gently wiped his face clean. "Huh? Oh, yeah I have a small first aid kit with my stuff…My brother makes me bring it around with me after he lectured me about getting hurt all the time and how dangerous the world can be before rambling about some weird shit." Both males giggled lightly. Gamzee smiled and walked over to the bag and its scattered contents. Humming lightly, he picked up and dusted off the varying items. There wasn't much, just several small tubs of sunblock, the first aid kit, a random book and some other personal items.

"Here we go. Let me see your knee." Rucksack and kit in hand, Gamzee walked over and sat on the ground in front of Karkat. The small male sighed and offered up his skinned joint. His hands wrung the bottom of his sweater as he pulled out a couple alcohol pads and a large band aid.

After opening the wipe, Gamzee gently pulled up the torn pant leg to reach the wound better. "Sorry if this stings bro, but you don't want it infected." Giving Karkat a soft smile he gingerly patted the area, making sure it was clean and covered in Neosporin before securing a bandage over it. Karkat hissed and tried not to kick him in his already injured face.

"Thanks again." Karkat stared at the dirt as Gamzee cleaned up and put the kit back into his bag. The clown only grinned back at him and handed over his things.

"You're welcome my best bro friend." Gamzee offered a hand, helping him back to his shaky legs. "So, do you wanna grab an ice cream or something? There's a stand nearby. You look hella hot in that sweater."

"Best friend? We don't even know each other." Karkat scowled and crossed his arms as he tried to take a few steps once his bag was back over his shoulders. He only stumbled a bit as he limped forward. "Ice cream does kinda sound nice though…But, what about your face?" His eyes traveled to his bruised jaw. A small trickle of blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth where the skin broke.

"Well, yeah friends look out for each other don't they? I've seen you around before. Maybe those jerks won't pick on you as much if you start hanging with me." The clown rambled on slightly as he watched Karkat attempt to walk. "We could become friends, start talking and what not. Then we'd know each other better." His silly grin still stayed on his face. "It's settled then, I'll go buy us a couple cones. Come on, the stand's not too far." Before the smaller boy could protest, Gamzee knelt down and carefully scooped him up, gently swinging him onto his back. "Don't worry 'bout me, it's just a scratch. I'll take care of it later."

"H-hey, what are you doing?!" Karkat trembled slightly as he stood straight and took a gentle yet firm hold of his legs.

"I'm giving you a ride, silly. You probably tweaked a few things when you got pushed around." Gamzee smiled up at him and started for the snack stand. Blinking, Karkat smiled for once and carefully wrapped his arms around his neck.

"A-alright, just don't drop me."

"I won't. You'll always be safe with me, honk."

The two smiling males made their way over to the ice cream stand. Even though he hated being up so high, Karkat somehow felt safe with the lanky male. This friendship idea couldn't be that bad.


End file.
